Arva, the Goddess of Sun and Light
Arva, Goddess of Light is also called “the Good Sister” with reference to the war between her followers and the followers of Sela in the Elven Wars. She is also the patron of the more militant enemy of Darkness.
One of the New Deities, Arva is worshiped in much of Valenor. She is often depicted riding a mighty white lion who is she her representation of her in some more primitive peoples, evoking pegasi and destroying evil with lightning bolts. She is depicted as a young woman in flowing white clothes or as an elderly man with wild golden hair and beard, dressed in bright white clothing. Among the Garowians she is also represented as a female lion with golden skin.
Other aspects
Arva was known as Sol by the early Valenorians.
Among the Rodihans, Arva is known as Al'Asran. Al'Asran is said to have granted the legendary Al'Arbar Cup.
In ancient Shen she was worshiped as Shi Yu, goddess of the morning.
A number of Arva's followers have attained immortal or near-deity status, the most popular being Mayaheine, demigod of protection, justice and valor, and San Phelan the Scourge, patron saint of those who hunt the undead.
Another saint, San Jalnir the Gentile, was a half-orc priest. San Benedor of the Ashen Hand, patron of the Knights of the Shining Sun, was a famous paladin of Arva and remains highly revered by the faithful of the Lady of the Sun.
Relationships
Among other gods, Arva is most closely allied with Danu and Melethis (mother and father) and is also often closely associated with Leiden, goddess of the Wind. The priests of Arva are known to help mediate disputes between the followers of the two splinter churches of Melethis. Arva, like all the other deities of Valenor makes no distinction between the races that worship her, the only yardstick for her clerics is the willingness to defeat evil creatures and those created by the Darkness.
The enmity between Arva and her sister Sela, goddess of the Moon, goes back to legendary times, the only tale that is narrated about the time before the war is this one:
In the beginning the two sisters were the two sides of the same coin, the balance between the two phases: day and night; they represented the ideal path to wisdom. Noctris, god of jokes, jealous of the affinity between the two sisters, began to tell Sela how much the dark part could be better than the bright part and how much she was less appreciated by the other gods. Until, during a banquet among the gods, Arva received as a gift from Melethis a mirror that reflected her beauty. Sela also asked for the same gift, which Melethis refused as there is nothing to reflect in the darkness. In a fit of anger Sela broke the mirror and settled in her dark realm.
The enmity between Arva and Sela, goes back to the prehistoric times of the world of Valenor, and grew until it resulted in the war that broke the people of the elves in two. Arva emerged victorious from the "War of the Sisters" and Sela's followers were exiled from the lands of Arborea. Fleeing to the northern wastelands, the surviving Sela-worshiping elves took the name of Elean.
Arva opposes all evil creatures and her followers avoid neutral deities with teachings contrary to those of Arva. It particularly detests those who willingly embrace the Darkness, seen as a negation of all that it represents.
Realm
The Fortress of the Sun, once known as the Blessing of Light, is the kingdom of Arva in the afterlife. The domain of Arva, originally a vast manor house surrounded by orchards, vineyards and farmland for miles, is now (as it took on a more martial aspect during the War of the Sisters) a gold-plated citadel that forms a lighthouse in top of the largest island in the Elesium spiritual plane. It is said that the sun warms the hearts of the good, illuminates the secret acts of evil and that the Darkness cannot set foot there.
Relationships
Arva, the Goddess of Sun and Light
DaughterTowards Danu, the Mother of All, Spirit of the Forest
Arva, the Goddess of Sun and Light
Daughter (Vital)Towards Melethis, The Father, Lord of Magic
Honest
Melethis, The Father, Lord of Magic
Father (Vital)Towards Arva, the Goddess of Sun and Light
Honest
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